I would like to invite StockXpert contributors to vote in the poll at the top.   Our last poll had 100 voters, but the questions are no longer valid now that StockXpert has changed its position to allow us to opt out of third party sales. 

This poll is anonymous unless you post comments below.

For more information on the changes in question, you can review this post http://www.microstockgroup.com/index.php/topic,5258.0.html or this post at StockXpert http://www.stockxpert.com/forum.phtml?f=showtopic&n=15291

I was away for a while and, oh man it took forever to digest this thread from about page 5.

I just opted out.   Even though StockXpert ranks about 6th for me in earnings, I'm glad I don't have to jump ship.  (Yet).  And I feel a little better that StockXpert listened to some of the points, just too bad it wasn't all of them. 

Thanks to everyone to participated in the call and the discussions on our behalf.

Hey Stephen, it had to happen sooner or later!  Many congrats for a great recognition.  I'm in Toronto and just bummed a laptop so I could find an update on StockXpert biz.  I would have been disappointed if I'd missed your week in the spotlight!  I faved ya too.  Surprized I hadn't sooner.

...the second I get out the subway my heart beat start accelerating and that until I take my camera in my hand and turn it on.

LOL, that's how I was driving to the camera store when my dealer called to say that my new macro lens was in after at least a 3 month wait!  (Like when I was 12 and saved and saved and saved for a new bike!!!)

Jitters:  Yep.  Guilty.  I shoot a lot of youth sports and I am pretty okay with that because it is such routine, but earlier this year I shot my first big school with a couple hundred dancers and I fretted and double checked and triple checked - but after the first little beauty it was all behind! 

Going back to jsnover's last post with the links:

I did check the travel photo on both sites.  On Pixelmil it stated the photographer is "photos.com".  On photos.com there is no credit anywhere on the photo.  I only checked one other photo and could not find a credit anywhere either.

Is that the way our photos will be portrayed?  Are the photos no longer our copyright if they are on Photos.com?  Did I sign somewhere on StockXpert that said this?

So, our photos will go from StockXpert to Photos.com to Pixelmil and lord knows where else?  WHO is protecting the copyright?  I guess all lawsuits from hereon-in will go to StockXpert.

StockXpert, don't you realize that we are selling on consignment with you?  You do not have the right to liquidate what is still our property.

Man, oh, man.  We are really betraying the other 4 or 5 sites if we go through with this.

Another thing, if the subs rate is the same as StockXpert, how will it be identified in our totals?

Once you attract the type of customer who wants everything for a dollar or less, how do you raise prices once you realize you need to do so?  The answer is, you cannot.  The same bargain basement hunters will leave you as soon as you raise prices, and go to your cheaper competition.

This is exactly what I have a hard time understanding.  What type of client are they reaching for?  Is this not the underbelly of customer buying these almost free subs plans?    Sure, I sell at SS - but their plans cost big $ excluding many buyers that aren't serious professionals.  Schemes like this new venture are just damaging to the future of this industry and should not be endorsed.    7500 photos for $99? 

I read the StockXpert thread and this one and it seems that contributors are threatening to leave StockXpert over this.  I wonder how many would follow through.  I'll start a poll in another thread.

You're welcome!  I just re-read it and clicked through to this page.  This links to editing tips from the same Istock reviewer;  should be helpful to many:

http://rasmusrasmussen.com/2008/07/15/post-processing-for-stock-photos/

Rasmussen wrote about inspecting at IS this week.  Doesn't reveal much, but here's what he has to say:

http://rasmusrasmussen.com/2008/07/22/life-as-an-image-inspector/

Keith, I uploaded 15 by flash.  It seemed to be at least as fast as ftp at other sites.   Magnificent.

The few I pushed through that night were reviewed by the time I checked in the next morning.  That's impressively fast.

I also noticed, that you can edit a block of photos in one shot that need the same data.  (Yes, this feature came in handy because I forgot to put commas in my IPTC data this month.  I took a couple months off and I totally need to be retrained )  I think I discovered this by accident too - maybe you need to feature it.

A couple of things:

1.  Those in the edit cue are separated by a white row, then a pale blue row, then a white row... etc.

First time user may be confused when it prompts you to do something like "press this button to submit the blue files" (not the site's exact language but you get it)  The bold blue conflicts with the pale blue rows. 

2.  The pending area needs a delete button.  I have photos there that have already been approved.  I looked for them before I submitted but didn't see them anywhere.  I had phantom batches that I sent in the last few months that just vanished.  I swear I only pushed 5 out of pending this week and 7 had been reviewed.

3. In the submit area it would be nice to see an "approved" row.

4. I have tried to submit so many times (in the past folks, in the past) and have encountered so many problems that I have no clue what is going on in my account at Zym and it is quite exhausting trying to get organized.  I have no idea how many photos I even have live.

In your future development plans I would just love to see a page like Dreamstime's "Your Uploads" page.  One photo per row, with columns across listed below:

-"very small" Thumbnail
-Title
-ID number
-Upload Date
-On-line Since
-Comments
-Downloads
-Views
- An "edit" button

This row can be sorted by any one  of those categories.  DT's "your uploads" page is simply the best one of all the micros.

5.  Referrals.  2 people have responded to a blog post that they have signed up under me yet I cannot see any indication of that on the site.   I'm pretty sure their activity is limited, but I'm sure that others would like to know that the referral process is working correctly.   

6.  Views.  Can I see views and clicks anywhere?  I think this is important for us to study the prices that we have applied to our photos.  With no views it is either not thumbnail popping or the $49 tag is making buyers run and we need to evaluate that individually.

7.  How come flash is lightening fast but the site itself is so sluggish? 


You guys are doing some great things at Zym.  Looking forward to the future.  I'll try to catch up on my uploading next month now that it's so easy.

Good analogy:  subs=mosquito.  Yes, they feel like a nuisance, and they are swarming around everywhere.

One thing about subs is that they are a relatively new endeavour for most of the agencies.  They have seen what a good thing SS has going and now other agencies want to replicate it.  The trouble is, we all doubt our subs sales are are new buyers like the agencies say, and we are likely losing regular sales.

It also seems that SS is losing a part of their market share and every year I expect to see them taking on individual photo sales.  (Right on the SS site, not on that other site).

Prices have risen quite a bit since I started.  And the introduction of subs on most of these sites has really been in the past 1.5 years.  Perhaps the rules will change once the agencies get a little experience in this side of things.  Maybe they are losing money over this deal as well?

I just want to add a little tip here for anyone trying photoshop. 

Don't forget to put commas between your words. 

Otherwise the sites will pick up a line of keywords and the rest will be lost.

I must have slept through a recent batch of keywording and forgot this little necessity.  Oddly though, Istock picked every non-comma'd word up before they rejected them.

General question.

Why would anyone delete a portfolio on any site after uploading it? Once deleted the chance for any sale at that site is zero.

If my port on Yay earns one payout every five years I would not delete it. One payout is better than none!

Meanwile I will upload in other places where I get a regular monthly payout. (BigStock)

Your thoughts ...?

-Larry

You upload photos to fictional Wonder Micro ("WM")

WM offers you 40% commission and promises you the world.

You get a few sales and have $20 in your account.

WM has $30 in their account. 

Your $20 mingles with WM's for a few months as you hope to reach their magic $100 payout.

WM's Mom wants her basement back.   They stop marketing.

WM pulls the plug, keeps your $20 and their $30.  Do the same to 40,000 other contributors.

You have wasted how many hours of your life uploading, checking stats, chatting up the forums, putting banners on your website.

If you spent one minute per day on this site, in 5 years you would have spent 1825 minutes.  At $8 per hour you could have made $243 at McDonalds.  Now count all the time you spend uploading, categorizing, reading newsletters, appealing rejections... etc. etc.

You have crowd-supported their half hearted attempt to start a business.

You worry what will happen to your assets (has WM traded your artwork to company selling cd's on ebay?)

I've got no problem giving a new company a shot.  But sticking with them is another story.